JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1990-2006: Achieving Sales Forecasting with Higher Accuracy and Efficiency: A New Model Based on Modified Transformer

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JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1990-2006: Achieving Sales Forecasting with Higher Accuracy and Efficiency: A New Model Based on Modified Transformer

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research doi: 10.3390/jtaer18040100

Authors: Qianying Li Mingyang Yu

With the exponential expansion of e-commerce, an immense volume of historical sales data has been generated and amassed. This influx of data has created an opportunity for more accurate sales forecasting. While various sales forecasting methods and models have been applied in practice, existing ones often struggle to fully harness sales data and manage significant fluctuations. As a result, they frequently fail to make accurate predictions, falling short of meeting enterprise needs. Therefore, it is imperative to explore new models to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of sales forecasting. In this paper, we introduce a model tailored for sales forecasting based on a Transformer with encoder–decoder architecture and multi-head attention mechanisms. We have made specific modifications to the standard Transformer model, such as removing the Softmax layer in the last layer and adapting input embedding, position encoding, and feedforward network components to align with the unique characteristics of sales forecast data and the specific requirements of sales forecasting. The multi-head attention mechanism in our proposed model can directly compute the dot product results in a single step, addressing long-term time-dependent computation challenges while maintaining lower time complexity and greater interpretability. This enhancement significantly contributes to improving the model’s accuracy and efficiency. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive formula representation of the model for the first time, facilitating better understanding and implementation. We conducted experiments using sales datasets that incorporate various factors influencing sales forecasts, such as seasons, holidays, and promotions. The results demonstrate that our proposed model significantly outperforms seven selected benchmark methods, reducing RMSLE, RMSWLE, NWRMSLE, and RMALE by approximately 48.2%, 48.5%, 45.2, and 63.0%, respectively. Additionally, ablation experiments on the multi-head attention and the number of encoder–decoders validate the rationality of our chosen model parameters.

JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1971-1989: Examining Consumers’ Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Digital Fashion in General and Purchase Intention of Luxury Brands’ Digital Fashion Specifically

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JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1971-1989: Examining Consumers’ Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Digital Fashion in General and Purchase Intention of Luxury Brands’ Digital Fashion Specifically

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research doi: 10.3390/jtaer18040099

Authors: Yanbo Zhang Chuanlan Liu Yanru Lyu

Digital fashion may instill transformative power into the fashion industry as it can simultaneously deliver fashionability and sustainability. Renowned for their innovativeness and creativity, luxury brands embrace digital fashion and achieve market success, indicating the future of digital fashion. This research aims to empirically investigate consumers’ general perceptions and evaluations of digital fashion and to specifically examine consumers’ purchase intention of luxury brands’ digital fashion. A total of 214 responses were collected from a U.S.-based research company’s consumer panel. Data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that the general attitude toward digital fashion is influenced by four factors: the two specific attitudes toward outfitting avatars and dressing real people’s on-screen bodies in virtual spaces, the perceived social value of digital fashion, and consumer environmental involvement. Furthermore, the general attitude and perceived social value of digital fashion directly affect the purchase intention. This study attempts to extend established theories into the emerging digital fashion context and provides insights and suggestions for digital fashion marketers, particularly for luxury fashion brands.

JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1955-1970: Global Market Perceptions of Cryptocurrency and the Use of Cryptocurrency by Consumers: A Pilot Study

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JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1955-1970: Global Market Perceptions of Cryptocurrency and the Use of Cryptocurrency by Consumers: A Pilot Study

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research doi: 10.3390/jtaer18040098

Authors: Murugappan Murugappan Rashmi Nair Saravanan Krishnan

Cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, have garnered global attention in recent years as digital alternatives to traditional fiat currencies. This paper explores the complex landscape of cryptocurrency adoption, consumer behavior, and perceptions. Beginning with the origin of cryptocurrencies and the dominance of Bitcoin with its USD 1.23 trillion market capitalization, the paper highlights popular online platforms facilitating Bitcoin trading. It also examines the varying legal statuses and regulations across different countries, with a notable divide between Eastern and Western nations, attributed to factors like wealth, risk tolerance, and government restrictions. The role of blockchain technology as the foundation of cryptocurrencies is explained, emphasizing its role in ensuring secure and transparent transactions. The paper delves into the processes involved in handling cryptocurrencies, including the blockchain, exchanges, wallets, and mining. Consumer behavior and the factors influencing cryptocurrency usage are analyzed, with a focus on speculation, algorithm trust, spending power, and demographics. Survey findings and case studies from diverse geographical areas reveal patterns of adoption and local consumer perceptions. The paper concludes by discussing the cryptocurrency market’s inherent volatility and sensitivity to regulatory changes, as well as the different types of cryptocurrencies and online exchanges shaping this evolving financial landscape. Overall, it offers insights into the complex dynamics surrounding cryptocurrency adoption and its potential impact on global finance.

Walled City of Lahore Authority: The Royal Trail Heritage Project

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Asian Journal of Management Cases, Ahead of Print.
This case is designed for MBA and undergraduate courses, aiming to emphasize the importance of stakeholder management in projects and familiarize participants with effective stakeholder management tools. The scenario revolves around a project involving community revitalization and historic preservation located in Lahore, Pakistan, known as the ‘City of Gardens’. The project area includes significant historical landmarks and charming, close-knit residential neighbourhoods where interconnected communities have lived for generations.The case unfolds through the perspective of Kamran Lashari, the protagonist, who inherits a challenging project burdened by a history of unsuccessful and possibly unmotivated predecessors. This project is facing a multitude of issues, spanning technical and managerial aspects. Its success is critical not only for its own sake but also because it sets the precedent for a series of ambitious community revitalization projects planned within the City of Gardens. Failure here could jeopardize future projects, strain relations with donors and permanently alienate the local community.The local community has harboured scepticism towards such endeavours, given their prior experiences with half-hearted attempts that brought inconvenience without any lasting benefits. These past efforts have left a bitter taste, making the community wary of new initiatives. Additionally, the project relies heavily on its partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which provides invaluable technical support without substantial financial compensation. However, in Kamran Lashari’s inherited situation, this crucial partnership appears to be in shambles.In the classroom setting, students are encouraged to delve into a systematic analysis of the project’s extensive array of stakeholders, each with their own unique interests. This case provides an ideal backdrop for examining various stakeholder analysis frameworks, including the Warees Framework, Donaldson and Preston’s (1995) theory distinguishing between influencers and stakeholders based on power, legitimacy and urgency, as well as the power-support matrix. These frameworks offer valuable tools for dissecting and understanding the complex web of relationships and interests involved in this high-stakes project.

JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1926-1954: Evolutionary Game Analysis of the Impact of Big Data Credit Technology on the Credit Rationing of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)

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JTAER, Vol. 18, Pages 1926-1954: Evolutionary Game Analysis of the Impact of Big Data Credit Technology on the Credit Rationing of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research doi: 10.3390/jtaer18040097

Authors: Yuhuan Jin Sheng Zhang Xiaokang Lei

Credit rationing hindered the development of MSEs. Big data credit technology creates a great opportunity to address this issue. Then, how does big data credit technology affect and to what extent can it alleviate the credit rationing of MSEs? Based on the bounded rationality economic man hypothesis, the evolutionary game model of banks and MSEs under the traditional mode and big data credit technology are constructed, respectively, in this paper, and the evolutionary trajectory of bank-enterprise credit strategies under the two modes are comparatively analyzed. The results show that it is hard to alleviate the credit rationing of MSEs under the traditional mode. However, under big data credit technology, when the overall credit level of MSEs is high, the credit rationing of MSEs will be effectively alleviated. When the overall credit level of MSEs is too low, it is difficult to determine whether big data credit technology can alleviate the credit rationing of MSEs. In order to verify the feasibility of big data credit technology in alleviating the credit rationing of MSEs, a simulation experiment is conducted to compare the differences in the credit rationing of MSEs with different credit levels under the two credit modes. We found that the credit rationing of MSEs is always lower under big data credit technology than under the traditional mode. Therefore, big data credit technology can effectively alleviate the credit rationing of MSEs under any circumstances. The research provides theoretical support for banks to apply big data credit technology to achieve a win-win situation for both parties.

Rethinking Spectrum Governance After the FAA and FCC’s Turf War Over 5G

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The rollout of 5G technology promised transformative benefits for consumers and the economy. But a protracted dispute between the FCC and FAA relating to 5G interference with airplane safety equipment prevented a smooth 5G rollout. While the FCC was giving wireless companies the green light to roll out 5G service, the FAA was warning of apocalypse if they did. What resulted was a turf war between the FAA and FCC, revealing a dysfunctional process (or lack thereof) for handling spectrum interference concerns. This Comment argues that the United States’ spectrum management system needs an overhaul to prevent similar agency turf wars over spectrum policy. This overhaul can be achieved partly by consolidating some spectrum management authority, currently dispersed between multiple agencies, in a single agency. And it can be achieved by enhancing coordination and cooperation between agencies where authority over spectrum policy remains dispersed.

The Department of Transportation’s Failures in Regulating Emotional Support Animals

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In the past decade, the number of emotional support animals being used to treat a wide array of mental and emotional disorders has multiplied exponentially. This increase has been met with mixed reactions in the context of air travel. While some passengers are thrilled to sit next to a dog on their flight, others are frustrated due to the belief passengers with emotional support animals are exploiting a loophole to travel with their pet for free. Regardless of the differing perceptions, emotional support animals are a valid, affordable way to treat mental health illnesses without incurring negative side effects associated with medication.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently amended the regulations on emotional support animals to reflect grievances related to potential abuses of the system. These amendments unfairly discriminate against individuals with mental health illnesses while doing little to prevent exploitation and misrepresentation of service and emotional support animals. DOT should revert to the previous system of recognizing emotional support animals in a category distinct from service animals. Furthermore, implementing stricter regulations for the registration of emotional support animals, reducing pet fees, and keeping records of such in a robust database would allow those with mental disorders to rightfully obtain emotional support animals while curbing abuse of the system.

Autonomous Archaeological Authority: The Future of Drone Use and Privacy Laws in Cultural Heritage Preservation

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Since ancient times, humanity has placed high value on natural and cultural phenomena, with Philo of Byzantium recording the first list of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” as early as 225 B.C.E. Similarly, modern world leaders continue to recognize the value of these and more sites through preserving them as United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites. With the advancement of drone technology, researchers now employ drones to aid preservation efforts since drones can enter dangerous and humanly-inaccessible spaces, provide detailed images of sites the human eye cannot see, and assist governments in identifying illegal looting. However, while many countries have developed drone use regulations, the challenging ethical questions drones pose regarding privacy rights have resulted in a lack of drone-specific privacy regulations. As countries create new legislation to fill the policy gaps, the tension between protecting privacy rights and preserving cultural heritage results in an unclear future for the use of drones for site preservation.

Section II of this Comment analyzes the history of World Heritage sites, drone development, and their intersection to understand the vital role drones play in site preservation. Subsequently, Section III conducts a comparative analysis of drone-use and privacy regulations in four countries with the greatest amount of UNESCO sites to identify the current status of global drone laws. Finally, Section IV addresses the lack of drone-specific privacy regulation and asserts potential implications new drone legislation could have on preservation efforts while postulating methods to protect preservation drone use.

Hot Topics and Current Issues Related to Aircraft Ownership, Cost Sharing, and a Case in Point if the Law is Not Followed

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This paper will explore the issues encountered when multiple users and/or entities purchase or sell an aircraft for business or personal use, which commonly involve the navigation of and compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations and accompanying federal statutes. This paper will also address the ownership of aircraft by multiple individuals and/or entities, and then operations under various ownership structures. Where multiple aircraft owners are involved, the utilization of dry leases, time sharing agreements, interchange agreements, and co-owner/joint-ownership agreements may be used to navigate FAA and IRS regulations and rules. Also, co-owning an aircraft, but not actually having “ownership” of the aircraft, through another company (an off balance sheet entity for example) will be addressed. Aircraft owned through an owner trust can also provide anonymity, ownership advantages, and can help navigate ownership registration issues. This paper will also address the U.S. Eastern District Federal Court Criminal Organized Crime and Drug Task Force Enforcement prosecution case against an aviation escrow, title, and trust company; along with the principals of those companies, which involved aircraft registration, sale, and ownership issues.

Aircraft Leasing—How to Comply with the Regulations and What Happens When You Don’t

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The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) increased emphasis on investigating improper leasing/illegal charter presents a challenge for aircraft operators. Understanding the regulatory requirements related to aircraft leasing is critical for operators to ensure their aircraft operations are compliant. Equally important is the need for aircraft operators to understand how the FAA exercises its oversight when it investigates alleged improper leasing/illegal charter operations, the consequences to which an aircraft operator may be subject in the event of non-compliance, and how an operator who is the target of such an investigation may respond to and/or work with the FAA to successfully resolve the investigation.